Truro Cathedral Tower Tours

See rarely-seen sights with a tour of the cathedral roof spaces, including, with this special tour, ascending the Victoria Tower to see views across Truro. The tour also takes you into the South West Tower where you can see (but not ascend) the wooden stairway leading to the top of that tower.

Tours on this date take place during general visiting hours, your £35 tour ticket covers your tour. There is no admission charge to visit, however we do encourage donations. All funds raised will directly support the care and upkeep of Truro Cathedral.

Please note: A maximum of 6 people will be on each tour.

Each tour is facilitated by a guide who will lead the group up the enclosed spiral staircases to the cathedral roof spaces and towers.

The stairways are steep and narrow, reducing (to 48cm wide) as you ascend over 200 steps. At the top of the first spiral stairway is a short and narrow (45cm wide x 195cm height) corridor leading to the walkway through the Western roof void.

From here you will be taken into the South West Tower. Access here has a restricted height of 150cm. You will need to walk crouched and up a small ladder into the South West Tower. You will not be able to ascend further than this level in this tower. From here you will return to the Western roof void.

The roof void is traversed by a wooden gangway, which has handrails. You will pass through two voids before arriving over the Crossing, where you can see the cathedral floor and Quire areas. From here you will explore the other roof spaces at the 80ft level. There is a balcony area which you can see over and through above the Crossing. Caution is to be taken when viewing, moving around the rigging and other trip hazards which exist in this space.

After taking all that there is to see at the 80ft level the group will ascend the Victoria Tower via a narrow spiral staircase. This staircase is narrower than the first and narrows further as you ascend. There is limited headroom 150cm in some sections. You will emerge into a roof section near the top of the tower for a rest and to view the inside of the tower. The ascent will resume again when everyone is ready to the top of the tower where you will be enclosed by a parapet that is over 7′ tall. There are plenty of apertures for views over Truro, however, again there are some sections with limited headroom.

The guide will be accompanied by a safety steward on each tour. Please note that there are cables on the ground in some areas. Care is needed to avoid any trips or falls.

When arriving for your tour, please wait at the Welcome Desk. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your tour start time to ensure that you have time to complete the waiver acknowledging the safety points noted here.

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SAFETY INFORMATION

• This tour is unsuitable for anyone who has any condition or difficulties arising from exertion or any mobility difficulty.
• The minimum age for anyone undertaking a tower tour is 18.
• There are several areas with a low ceiling level. Caution must be undertaken. Safety helmets will be available. There are also hazards at floor level which present risks of trip. The stewards will identify these.
• Flat (sensible) footwear must be worn.
• Participants are encouraged to wear gloves or must wash their hands at the conclusion of the tour due to the amount of dust on surfaces.
• The tour has been risk-assessed. Should a medical incident occur which would result in the need for resuscitation then it is unlikely that this would be successful given the confined space. Similarly, if a medical evacuation is needed then it is unlikely that this would be successful. This risk must be considered by anyone considering taking part in a tour.
• Should a tour participant feel that they cannot proceed with the tour at any time, then they will be accompanied to the ground level by a steward.
• The tour team will remain in contact with the team on the ground floor at all times.